Oscar Ramos Jr. in Car Accident on Garth Road in Harris County, TX
UPDATE (January 27, 2022): Reports confirm that the victim, identified as 22-year-old Oscar Ramos Jr., died as a result of the accident. Police claim that Ramos had a BAC of .15 after the accident. They did not release any additional details.
Harris County, TX -- September 22, 2021, a man sustained injuries after an accident in which a vehicle struck him along Garth Road.
Investigators responded to the area of Garth Road and Wallisville Road just before midnight. Their reports said that a man was walking when he attempted to cross Garth. Doing so, a vehicle struck the man. The pedestrian sustained injuries said to be critical. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities do not report any charges at this time.
Commentary on Oscar Ramos Jr. Accident on Garth Road in Harris County
Police now allege that alcohol was a factor here, which is always a serious issue to look into. Folks tend to always take that to mean the reports are putting all the blame on the allegedly intoxicated person. That's not necessarily true. These reports say that the victim was walking, so it's not like he was putting the public in danger by driving drunk. It simply appears, according to authorities, that the intoxication may have led him to a dangerous situation that ultimately took his life. For that reason, it's absolutely crucial to find out if a local alcohol provider over-served the victim. It's possible that some local business's negligence led to this young man losing his life, and that sort of thing cannot go unaddressed.
That may sound like an unusual priority to have, but it has to do with dram shop law. Let me explain why that's such an important thing for victims and families. I had this case not long ago where a man was walking home from a bowling alley after a night out with friends. He was highly intoxicated, but he did the right thing trying to walk home instead of getting behind the wheel. Unfortunately, due to his extreme intoxication, he got lost and wandered onto a freeway ramp where a car hit and killed him. When we looked into things, evidence clearly showed that the bowling alley recklessly and illegally over-served the man while he was obviously intoxicated, presenting a clear danger to himself and others. As such, they were liable for their role in the accident under Dram Shop Law.
To be clear, I have no reason at this time to believe that happened here. My point is simply that these accidents can be a lot more complex than people realize, and they deserve close attention from trained professionals. Any opportunity to get folks the help they need is worth the effort, but the possibility of holding someone accountable for actions that led to a young man's death only makes it that much more necessary.
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